Principals’ Message, January 2017

The New Year is a time of reflection and determined new action. As we think look to the future, many people begin making new goals. One lesson that can be learned as we pay attention to these good intentions is that we should always act as if what we do makes a difference – because it does! Parents and teachers significantly influence children’s lives each day. Young people are our greatest resource. Making a positive impact in the lives of our students is vital. Morningside’s dedicated staff, many volunteers and parents all work very hard to benefit children. What we do each day matters!
In a few weeks we will reach the mid-year point of this school year. It is a great time to reflect on what we can do to support student learning. The PBS parent website offers these suggestions:Be a role model of learning: When a child begins formal school, the parent’s job is to show him how school can extend the learning you began together at home, and how exciting and meaningful this learning can be.Practice what your child learns at school: Many teachers appreciate parents to go over what their children are learning in a non-pressured way and to practice what they may need extra help with. Set aside time to read together. Read aloud regularly, even to older kids. If your child is a reluctant reader, reading aloud will expose her to the structure and vocabulary of good literature and get her interested in reading more. “Reading the first two chapters of a book together can help, because these are often the toughest in terms of plot,” notes Susan Becker, M. Ed. “Let kids pick the books they like. It’s OK to read easy, interesting books instead of harder novels.”Help your child take charge of his learning: “We want to keep children in charge of their learning and become responsible for it,” says Dalton Miller-Jones, Ph.D. “We want them to be responsible for their successes and failures, show them how engaging learning is, and that the motivations for learning should be the child’s intrinsic interests, not an external reward.”Learn something new yourself: Learning something new yourself is a great way to model the learning process for your child. Take up a new language or craft, or read about an unfamiliar topic. Show your child what you are learning and how you may be struggling. Your child may learn study skills by watching you study. You might even establish a joint study time.

As we work together, our goal at Morningside is to fully meet the academic and social needs of all our students. With your continued support, we can make a great impact on every child attending Morningside. All the best as we head into 2017!

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